The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-06-24
NUMBER %.

and trembled, and his very lips quivered.
he stammered out:
"Wh-wh-why. is It your wha-wha-
what do you want?"
Suppose In turn l ask you what you
are doing with that open safe and money
at this untimely hour?"
"Oh, thatl' he answered glancing
down at the scattered bank-notes. an
evidently recovering himself with an
effort. Ha, ha!" he affected to laugh.
" DO you know, my q, r fellow, I mis-
TO you for burgla, ?"
" Instead of yourself, eh?"
The fact is, you see. my dear
friend"
Suppose you leave the dear friend
out" interrupted.
"Well. tn n ne cooIly went on, "tho
fact IS hat. after going home the idea
came into my head that l had made 4
mistake in my money repor and as the
governor, you know (meaning our en-
ployer). i very particular about trities,
and might discover IL before l should
get q chance TO make q correction, l
thought l had better attend 70 1t at
once"
and doubtless you found an error
which you were about to set right p (
said with q sneer which be seemed d.
TO notice.
"Oh, yes. think there vas IN error;
but am not quite sure. because OF your
interruption. 1 shall have to 20 ali
over the money again. And now that
have accounted Tor my presence here,
suppose you do the same, he added,
giving me q searching look.
We'll, / came ia 10 get" Here il
occurred to me that /, an honest man,
was being interrogsted by one who was
perhaps thief, and l suddenly broke
off and added:
That Is my business"
"Oho" ne exclaimed with peculiar
loo and leer.
AID I came in by the porters Key"
sharply continued.
Aha . yes, ye@. Just 5o!'
And by what key did you come in?"
q suppose you are not ignorant OF
the fact hat there is a private key" he
an-wered.
(Which belongs to the governor"
And which his daughter could get
for me-"
Having every confidence in your in
tegrity."
a. least she ought to have in her fu-
ture husband, you know"
This allusion TO his coming marriage
with my worshipped angel nearly drove
me wild.
1 controlled myself as well as could,
and merely said:
II hope you will find your money af-
fair all correct, and not have to take
away or add anything" ("
Thank you / hope 7 shallw he
blandly answered.
1 turned away abruptly to seek what I
came FOR and leave the building.
As was about to depart in no envla-
bic framo OF mind, tie called out;
al suppose you viii report what you
have discovered. and as much TO my
injury as possibley"
Probably you arc now judging me
by yourself" l angTIly replied; " but
viii than; you TO understand that l am
too much OF a gentleman to be tale
bearer"
An right, then. and goodnight " he
said
Being too angry TO respond hurried
out and locked the d0O- withOu, saying
another .,Crd.
/ returned the KEY t. the porter; but
did not mention TO him, nor to anyone
else, the fact OF nv having met ny fel-
Lowell rk In the bull ing, under circum-
stances 50 calculated 10 excite -Iiclon
Il his being there tor an evil pur-
pose.
In this am now certain did wrong;
but / was young then, without expert
cnce in the evil way Df maukilI, strict
ly honest and honorable myself, and
possessed too nue. piiGc O Gemean
mys II to the low condition OF d tale
bearer.
/ reasoned. too, that if my rival had
originally de med 10 rob his employer
he would moi do il after what he'd &c
CURED, an tha- l really ha3 10 right TO
lnlur- his reputation mere J secause he
had been chosen from ali the world by
thu II be ng who was all the world to
me.
It was something like month after
this event. that ! was one day fearfully
startled and shocked at su denly find
ing myself under arrest for stealing
monry from my employer.
Notwithstanding that l knew myself
to be entirely innocent, the very fact
that I should be suspected Of such ne
farious transaction nearly crushed me
with shame.
Judge Of my unbounded anna cement
and horror, then. on being assured that
marked money had been found in my
trunk, tina, the amount of a thousand
pound had been ahSiracted within the
last few weeks that my fellow-cleTk and
rival had suspected me ever since the
night TO he swoTo) he had seen me com
ing out Of the store and that the porter
had already given evidence Of nv hav-
ing borrowed his key TO enter the build
ing ct an unreasonable hour.
l comprJhenied at once that this was
a most fondish plot of my rival to get
me out Of the way and shield his own
dishonesty, for he alone had robbed his
employar, and prOfited by it.
What could / do2
My stateaent OF the fact that I had
entered the premises Tor another pur-
pose was not believed; and VIII n add
ed the whole truth OF what 1 had seen
there, was simply regarded u u cold
blooded rascal, who was trying to in
volve an innocent young man ia my own
ruin.
All my previous life OF probity went
for nothing. OF only stood out, white
robed, to make my later acls appear
more dark and dam ling.
Well, t. be brief, i was tried and con-
victed, and sent TO penal servitude for q
term OF years.
She, who was my idol, was present
when the awful verdict Guilty was
pronounced by the jury; AMI l shall
never forget the mourntUI look of pity
with which she reEar led me for the last
time, as she passed by me in the feiOn's
dock, leaning on the arm of my wicked
rival and destroyer.
Before l left the place OF my misery
and degradation, / had the satisfaction
OF seeing nay hated rival there, in the
convict garb, justly brought there by his
evil deeds. After my release learned
that his wife had died Of O broken
heart.
That was the end of life for me,
What a Yankee Woman Could Do,